How Many Sweeps Have There Been in NBA Finals History?
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A record number of sweeps have taken place in the NBA Finals. Here’s a look at how many have happened over the years.
How Many Sweeps Have There Been in NBA Finals History?
In NBA Finals history, there have been a total of 30 sweeps. Out of those 30 sweeps, the home team has swept the series 19 times. In other words, 63% of all sweeps in NBA Finals history have been completed by the home team.
The Most Recent Sweeps in NBA Finals History
The most recent sweeps in NBA Finals history have been:
-2011, when the Dallas Mavericks swept the Miami Heat
-2007, when the San Antonio Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers
-2004, when the Detroit Pistons swept the Los Angeles Lakers
The last time a team was swept in the NBA Finals was in 2014, when the Spurs lost to the Heat in five games.
The Most Sweeps in NBA Finals History
There have been a total of 32 sweeps in NBA Finals history. The most recent one occurred in 2018, when the Golden State Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Warriors have experienced the most sweeps in NBA Finals history, with four. The Cavaliers, Lakers, and Spurs have each been swept twice.
The 1985 Finals between the Lakers and Celtics is widely considered to be one of the best NBA Finals ever. It featured two of the greatest players of all time in Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and it went to seven games before the Lakers finally prevailed.
The Least Sweeps in NBA Finals History
In an NBA Finals best-of-seven series, a sweep is when one team wins all four games. It is the least common result, with only 13 sweeps occurring in the 71 finals series that have been played (as of 2019).
The most recent sweep in the NBA Finals occurred in 2018, when the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0. The Cavaliers became the first team in Finals history to be swept in a series in which they won at least one game.
Prior to 2018, the last sweep in the NBA Finals occurred in 2007, when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Cavaliers 4-0. That series was notable for being the first time that a team had swept the finals after losing the first two games of the series.
The Cavaliers were also swept in 2005 by the Spurs, making them the only team to be swept twice in NBA Finals history. The other teams to be swept more than once are the Miami Heat (2012 and 2014) and Washington Bullets/Wizards (1975 and 1979).
